Lights of Rememberance
by ayamari no Goshi
Summary: Over time… the memories we make fade away, but the bonds formed seldom do. A one-shot set in two timelines. No pairings! Please read and review!


**Lights of Remeberance  
**By Ayamari no Goshi  
Based off of Dragonball by Akira Toriyama  
((I do not own Dragonball or its characters))

_Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas!_

_Not only is this my first Christmas story, it's my first one-shot too; so bare with me, okay? For those who haven't encountered my work before, this is set in the world of my fan fiction, "_Tale of a Mistake,"_ and the main back-story to this can be found in chapters 2 and 3. For those who are already familiar to the story, this will give a slight preview of what is to come in later chapters. Enjoy!_

_Oh, and as usual, there will be footnotes at the end of the work so when you see a random number, it corresponds to a footnote._

* * *

_Over time… the memories we make fade away, but the bonds formed seldom do. It is from those bonds that we find comfort and can draw on strength that allow us to continue struggling through the hardships that are part of life…_

-------

Something seemed off when I awoke that morning. I looked around the room, attempting to figure out what was different, but nothing was out of place. Confused and suspicious, I sat up in my bed and listened, hoping I could determine what was bothering me.

After a few moments, I shook my head and allowed myself to fall backwards on to my pillow. I was being silly; nothing was wrong. My assumptions were probably just byproducts of the changes that had occurred in my life over the past year.

I was living with Trunks and Bulma Briefs, not my actual family. The reason? Well, I had been taken from my family by a creature that thought that I would be of great use to him in the years to come. What he truly had in mind for me, I cannot comprehend; I was rescued by Trunks before anything could be carried out. Fearing that I would be in danger at home, I was taken to Trunks' time, twenty years in the future, in hopes that I could become strong enough to eventually protect myself against him.

Although Bulma was trying to do everything in her power to make my stay with them pleasant, I could not help but feel out of place. For one thing, I was away from my family. My father and brother were part of my world in such a way that it just felt empty without them, but I understood that it was still too dangerous to chance seeing them. The pain of longing had dulled into an ache that I doubted would ever go away.

A second reason was what was happening around me on a daily basis. The world was in the process of being destroyed by two artificial humans that had originally been created either to kill my father or to take over the world. For whatever reason, they had forsaken their original orders and were now having fun terrorizing the planet. Trunks was the only person who was left in the battle against these creatures, but he was severely outmatched. When I could, I would attempt to assist him in the battles; although he was training me, he did not exactly want to put me in so much danger.

A third reason was that I was still trying to adjust to the fact that I was not completely human. I had been told that I am only half human, and that my dad was a Saiyan, a warrior from a distant planet. At first, I did not believe that, but as I began my training with Trunks, it became clear that no one else around us was capable of performing such tasks. It made me feel incredibly awkward when I was around most humans. Since Bulma already knew all about this, I could relax around her a little, and Trunks was a half-breed, like me.

"Goshi-kun1…? Are you awake?" I heard a soft voice ask from outside my door. It was Trunks.

I groaned and rolled over in my bed. I really did not want to leave the warmth of my covers. "Go away…" I mumbled as I pulled a pillow over my head.

I then heard the door open. It was followed by footsteps that neared the bed. "Come on, Goshi-kun…" Trunks told me after signing and gently tugging on the pillow that I was using a shield. "You really don't want to play this game with me today."

"Leave me alone…" I told him irritably as I did not release my grasp on the pillow. Usually, I was not too bothered by Trunks' presence, in fact, I had began to see him as extended family, but that did not stop me from wanting to figure out a way to fall back asleep.

"You were brooding, weren't you?" he asked me as tugged on the pillow again. I froze underneath the pillow; I had not realized that he had discovered that little personality quirk so quickly. I was usually listless on days where I had begun to think about the troubles of my situation.

"That's none of your business!" I snapped at him; my head was still under the pillow.

"It's not going to change anything." I felt him sit down on the bed. Although we were on better terms now than we had been originally, there were still times when he was rather harsh with me. "Besides, my kaa-san2 is expecting us downstairs."

I rolled over slightly and glanced at him from under the pillow. It was a little unusual for Bulma to summon us. "What's going on…? Are we going somewhere?" I asked, slightly confused.

Trunks seemed to stumble over his words for a moment as he attempted to figure out how to explain. "Well… I can't really explain it. You'll see what's happening when you go downstairs," he told me eventually. He then grabbed my pillow and ripped it off of my head. "And, Goshi-kun, you're not going back to sleep."

I glared at him as I attempted to snatch back my pillow. "You're still going to have to leave the room if I'm going to change!" I might only be five years old, but I did have an issue with getting ready in front of him. Maybe it was modesty, maybe it wasn't, but I did not like anyone seeing the damage that had been done to my body from that creature and my mother.

He just laughed at me. "You don't need to change; we're not going anywhere. You just need to find your way downstairs."

That was a new one on me. Usually, I had to get ready before I went downstairs because I was either going to be training, helping around the house, or studying. Now curious, I slid out of bed and rummaged around under the bed for a pair of slippers that I liked to wear. Once they were found and on my feet, I looked at Trunks and waited for him to give the signal to head downstairs.

"Are you ready now?" he asked me with a slightly amused expression. I nodded. "Good." He then stood up and tossed the pillow back onto the bed. "Let's go."

----

"Merry Christmas, Goshi-chan3!!!" Bulma shouted happily at me while brandishing a present. She then forced the present into my hands.

I stared at her. "Christmas…?"4 I did not recognize the term. I also did not understand why I was given a present; it wasn't by birthday.

Bulma seemed somewhat shocked my ignorance. "Christmas is a holiday from the west!" she explained happily. "It's a day where you exchange presents with those you care about, and since you're still adjusting to everything, I felt that we should do something to make you feel a little more welcome, isn't that right Trunks?"

I glanced back at Trunks to see his reaction, but he was suddenly interested in a decoration on the wall. It was then that I realized that someone had placed various decorations throughout the room. I guessed that most of what I was seeing had something to do with this mysterious holiday.

"Well, aren't you going to open your present?" Bulma asked me in an excited voice, which distracted me.

I was hesitant. "But I didn't get you anything…"

She just brushed it off. "Don't worry about it! I have enough things already. Besides, I got that for you. Go on! Open it!"

I then examined the present carefully, not really knowing what I was trying to find. After determining that it was not dangerous and that I had stalled enough, I began to unwrap it. I was surprised to discover clothing within the box. After pulling it out, I realized that it was a gi5 consisting of a deep purple long-sleeved undershirt and a light charcoal gray over shirt and pants. I was absolutely dumbfounded.

For the past several months, I had been training and fighting while wearing normal clothes, which did not last very long in a fight. For a long time, I had actually been dreaming of having my own gi like the one my father wore. His was a comfort to me because he constantly wore it, and it just made him seem that much stronger. And, now I had one of my own.

"I had figured that you would want something that would remind you of your Tou-san6," she told me with approval when she saw my reaction. "Besides, it's about time that we give you some clothing that is permitted to be destroyed. Now, you don't have to worry about those constant shopping trips you hate so much… though I can't seem to understand why…"

I laughed at her. Afterwards, there were a few more presents given to me by Bulma before Trunks handed me one. That surprised me as well, which caused me to look at him carefully before I opened it. I was surprised to see a CD under the wrappings. He chuckled as I attempted to open it. I do not know what it is about those package wraps, but they are incredibly difficult to open.

"I've noticed that you've been looking through my music collection," Trunks told me once I finally got the plastic wrap off. I blushed slightly. "Well, since you seem interested, I decided that its time for you to have some music of your own."

"Thanks Trunks-ni7!" I told him happily, as I examined the CD. Most of it was in English, so I had absolutely no idea what it said. I would have to get Trunks to translate it later. I was also slightly puzzled as to why I would be given an English CD, but I remember that he had once said that the best rock came from the west.8

After the presents were given (Trunks and Bulma exchanged gifts as well), I was surprised to learn that I was not going to be studying or training. I was permitted to do whatever I wanted, which baffled me. I always had difficulty adjusting to things that were beyond the norm.

After several hours of having fun (and being thankful that the artificial humans were taking a break), Bulma began busying herself in the kitchen. After asking her what she was doing, I learned that most people who celebrate Christmas tend to have some sort of feast; she was just going with tradition.

My curiosity was satisfied for the moment, so I was about to leave the room when Bulma let me know that she was inviting some of her neighbors over for dinner. I froze immediately: humans. As soon as I recovered the use of my limbs, I hurried out of the room and found a secluded room elsewhere in the house.

As soon as I was in the room, I closed the door and slid to the floor. I could not believe that she was inviting her neighbors over. In this time, most of the people were terrified of the artificial humans; I could not blame them. But part of the fear centered around the fact that the artificial humans looked like normal humans, but after watching them create chaos, it was clear that they weren't. The fear that those who look human might not be, carried into most waking aspects of this time. No one knew if there were more androids, so that fear made sense.

But was part of the reason that I did not want Bulma's neighbors anywhere near me. They did not like Trunks or me. They often saw us training in the yard surrounding Capsule Corp. and it bothered them. To them, we were different and a potential threat, even though we were training so that we could eventually liberate them from the artificial humans. Many harsh words had come from them… and even once or twice, we had something of a decent size thrown at us.

------

"Goshi-kun?" Trunks asked as he opened the door to the room (and he hit me with it). "Are you in here?" It had been some time since I had been seen downstairs, and I suppose that Bulma had sent him to look for me.

"OW!" was my reply as I fell over and rubbed my head.

"Gomen na sai9." He was clearly trying to stifle a laugh. As I glared at him, he extended his hand to help me up. "Kaa-san is expecting us downstairs for dinner. Aren't you coming?"

"Iie.10" I pushed his hand away. "Don't want to be anywhere near those… those _humans_!"

He paused for a moment. "What are you talking about? You have human blood… so what's the problem?"

I stood up, in an attempt to be dramatic, but it does not work very well when you are rather short. "I can't stand the way they treat us! If they were just a bit nervous, I think I would be okay with that since it's understandable… but, they hate us! They know that we're different than them, and they bank on it!"

"I know what you mean, but be good. Kaa-san is doing this for you, so please don't ruin it for her." He then turned to exit the room. "Besides, food tastes better when it's warm, and dinner will be ready any moment now."

I sighed. My one weakness was food; I had inherited my father's hunger (well… no matter what happened, he would still always eat more than anyone else I know), and that hunger was not going to let me stay in the room when there was food waiting to be eaten in another room. I grudgingly followed Trunks down to the dinning room.

----------

I was in horrible mood when I entered the dinning room, even though the feast in front of me was tantalizing. What made it worse was that as soon as we entered the room, Bulma's neighbors began staring at us with unfriendly eyes. I felt so awkward.

I did not speak to anyone while we ate (unless you count me saying 'thank you' when a dish was passed to me). I disliked doing that because I felt like it might be hurting Bulma's feelings, but I wanted to avoid an incident. That was rather hard because there were a number of underhanded comments made by the people around us.

When I had finally eaten my fill, I excused myself and hurried into another room. I had no desire to force myself to stay with those _humans_, who had no desire to deal with me.

A while later, Trunks came into the room where I had decided to hide myself. "Are they gone?" I demanded of him before he was even able to determine that I was there.

"Huh…?" he was clearly startled. "Is… who gone?"

That irritated me. "WHO ELSE!?" I snapped. "_THEM_!!!"

"Oh… Yes, they're gone."

"Good. That means I'm free to walk around again."

Trunks chuckled. "Actually, Goshi-kun, you're not." I turned around and stared at him. "You and I have some place to go."

My anger immediately began to evaporate as curiosity began to set in. "Where are we going at this time? It's pretty late in the evening, isn't it? The artificial humans aren't attacking, are they?"

"There's no attack." He then motioned for me to follow him. "If we don't leave now, we're going to miss it."

"Miss what?"

He grinned mischievously. "You'll see." He then led me back through the house to the entryway where he handed me a rather heavy coat. "You'll need that: it's going to be rather cold."

I was still puzzled, but for once, I listened to him without asking any questions. "Are you going now?" Bulma asked as she watched us from the doorway.

Trunks nodded, which caused her to sigh. "Just be careful, and don't keep Goshi-chan out too late."

"Don't worry; I won't," he told her calmly, although I could tell that he thought her worries were unnecessary.

"Make sure you don't," she reiterated before she turned to me. "So Goshi-chan, did you enjoy your first Christmas? I know that dinner wasn't quite what you expected…"

I hugged her in reply. "I did have a lot of fun!" Well, I did before I found out about our dinner plans… "And dinner was excellent!"

"I'm glad to hear that." She then turned back to her son. "Have fun!"

"Come on, Goshi-kun," Trunks told me. "It's time to leave." I then followed him outside.

--------

We flew for quite a while. I was getting bored; it was night, so I could not distract myself by looking at the scenery. I also did not know where we were. "We're going to land here." Trunks told me after a while. I reluctantly followed.

I landed in an unfamiliar substance. It was several centimeters thick and I thought that it was solid until it started to soak through my shoes. Irritated, I scooped up a handful of the substance and noticed how cool it was to the touch. Seconds later, I watched how it melted in my hands. "…Is… this snow?" I asked as a faint recollection came to me. I had read about in one of my books.11

"You've never seen snow before?" he asked me in a disbelieving tone.

"Iie. It doesn't snow back home."

"You're missing out." He then grabbed a handful of snow, compressed it into a ball, and threw it at me. "That's a snowball. You throw it at people."

"I can see that," I grumbled irritably as I tried to get the cold wetness out of my coat. It did not work all that well, especially because Trunks hit me with another snowball. "Will you stop it!?" I demanded of him.

"Why?" he asked as he threw another one at me. He was clearly having fun. "It's not like I'm hurting you?"

"It's cold!"

He just laughed. "All snow is cold, Goshi-kun."

"It doesn't have to be cold on me!"

He just hit me with another snowball in response. "That's it!!!" I yelled at him as I scooped up some snow and compressed it in a way that I thought he had. "See how you like it when you get pelted with these things!" I then threw the snow at him.

"Jeez, Goshi-kun, that was pathetic!" He was clearly not fazed by my attempt. "A snowball is supposed to be _round_!"

"SHUT UP!"

----

Our little snowball fight lasted a good hour before Trunks call it quits. Both of us were wet and cold, but I was surprised to know that it was a comfortable feeling; probably because we had been having so much fun.

"So what's next, now that we're all wet?" I asked him as I began to shiver. Wet and cold do not mix well.

"Now?" he asked me. "Now, we wait."

"For what!?" I demanded of him.

"You'll see." His smile was mischievous again. "It should be beginning soon."

I just huffed and began to walk away. He grabbed me before I got too far though. "It's better for you to stay put. I don't want you to get lost."

"Fine." I snapped. I was then forced to follow him over to a large rock, which he decided to us as a chair. After some coaxing, he managed to convince me to sit on his lap. I was hesitant at first, but after reminding myself that it would probably be warmer if I did that since people give off heat, I agreed. We then waited.

I had just about had enough, when Trunks pointed at the sky. "Goshi-kun, look! It's starting!" I turned back to stare at him. "Why are you looking at me? I'm not what's interesting here." In all honesty, I just thought that this was one of his games. I really did not think that there was anything to see, but to humor him, I looked up at the night sky.

There are no words to describe how I felt when I saw it. Above us was what can best be described as a band of color that stretched across the sky. That color went from the most vivid red to the most subtle purple, but it primarily alternated between a blue teal and a light gold color. The band also was not stationary; it moved, much like that of a curtain blowing in the wind across the sky. It was so pretty!

"Trunks-ni, what is it?" I asked in an awed voice.

"That's the aurora borealis," he told me. I could tell that he seemed pleased by my reaction. "They're also called the northern lights. It's created when particles from the sun interact with the magnetic field of earth."

"How can something so simple-sounding be so…" I was at a loss for words for my explanation. "…_amazing_!"

He chuckled. "It only sounds simple, but it is a natural event." He then sighed and ruffled my hair. "Is it just me, or does it seem like the lights are kind of like our chi12?"

That confused me enough to distract me from the sight. "What do you mean?"

"Well, our chi represents the latent energy in our body, and the lights somewhat do the same thing for the earth. Besides, both radiate light." I was pretty sure that he put the last part in for humor.

"Care to explain that further…?" I asked, still confused.

"The magnetic field around the earth is created by movement in its molten core," he told me in a reflective voice. "Because of this, you can think of the magnetic field as the earth's chi. It's not only visible, but it's always there. It's only when it receives energy from the sun that it becomes visible like this."

"The earth's chi…" I repeated slowly as I tried to comprehend the thought. "I kinda understand what you mean."

"Good; that's why I brought you out here."

"What!?" I was a bit startled by that.

He glanced at me for a second before he looked up towards the sky again. "For a while now, you've felt different from those around you because of what you can do, right?" I reluctantly agreed, which caused him to continue. "That's why I wanted you to see this. Just like the aurora, our chi is part of a natural process. Everyone on earth had chi."

"Even humans?"

"Yes, Goshi-kun, even humans." He gave me a gentle smile before he continued. "Unfortunately, most _pure_ humans don't have the skills needed to use their chi, which causes them to look at those who can like they are something foreign. It's too different for them."

"Are you sure, Trunks-ni…?" I was definitely suspicious of his words. Although I really did want to hope that maybe I had more in common with normal people than I originally hoped, I did not want to believe in a lie.

"I'm positive! Did you know that some of your Tou-san's13 best friends could use chi as effectively as he could?"

That caught my attention. "Really!?"

He seemed to be enjoying how shocked I was. "Yep! Kuririn-san, Yamcha-san, Tenshinhan-san, Muten Roshi-sama, Chaozu-san, and others all learned how to use it.14"

"If… if that's true… than, we… we really aren't all that different from everyone else…" I stuttered as everything began to make sense.

"…Well… yes, and no," he said. I stared at him. "Please don't misunderstand Goshi-kun. Yes, most of our abilities can be replicated by anyone on earth, but since we have Saiyan blood, we will always be one step ahead of them."

"Then… we're back at square one…!" I was upset by this point. The person who was trying to change my opinions succeeded right before he destroyed them.

"Not quite. I wanted you to know that you aren't as different from those around you as you originally thought, **and**… I wanted you to know that you aren't alone."

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled slightly. "I'm the same as you Goshi-kun… I'm half-Saiyan, half-human… I know how hard it is when you feel like there is no one else around who completely understands you. I'll always be here for you to help you adjust to everything."

I said nothing as I tried to understand his thoughts. "Trunks-ni…" I said finally. "I think that I might be able to get along with… people… a little better now. It might take a while though…"

"That's all I was hoping for," he told me as he ruffled my hair. "Merry Christmas, Goshi-kun."

We then said nothing else as we continued to watch the aurora perform its dance across the sky.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aren't you coming, Goshi-chan?" my mother demanded of me as I glanced at her from a comfortable position on my bed.

"You know I don't care for parties," I told her as I tried to stifle a yawn. I had been napping before she barged into the room and began pestering me. She and my brothers, Gohan and Goten, had been preparing for a party that Bulma was throwing to celebrate Christmas, and I did not want to go, which is why I had fallen back asleep.

That irritated her. "**That's it, Goshi-chan**!" she yelled as she approached my bed. "**I can't take it any more! Get off that bed and get ready! Bulma-chan has kindly invited us over for the first time in a while, and you don't even have the curtsy to respond to her invitation!**"

I did not move an inch as I looked at her. "Christmas is supposed to be a time of cheer and happiness. When someone enters a place filled with that sense of joy when he or she does not share in that feeling, it takes away from the whole mood. I don't want to ruin anything."

"**Joy?!**" she snapped at me. She appeared to be surprised that I used that word. "**Do you even have any idea what it's like to have joy!?**"15

"Kaa-san, I have been to a Christmas party before…"

"…You… have?" She was completely taken back by that. "When?"

I rolled over before I answered. "When I was being trained by _him_." She understood what I meant immediately, and said nothing more on the topic as she left the room.

I had actually been dreaming about that party before my mother had woken me. It had been ten years since that day, and it seemed like it was in a completely different lifetime; so much had changed. For one thing, I was no longer in the future; I was in my own time, living with my own family. Well… part of my family. My father had died during the fight against the creature called Cell. It had been over five years since it happened.

The second difference was Trunks. I had not seen him since shortly after my father died, since he had gone back to his own time. He had promised that he was going to come visit, but it never happened. He was such a critical part of my life that I just seemed to break when I realized that he was never coming back. His name was a taboo in our house because of that and the fact that my mother and brother never exactly forgave him for keeping me away from home for six years.

The other major difference was that I was nowhere near as naive as I was back then. Back then, I did not know anything about transformations, the things that truly set Saiyans apart from humans. The awkwardness I used to feel around humans gave way into complete distrust when I realized that no human could comprehend what it means for us to transform and that they would most likely shun us for it if they found out.

What was making that situation worse was that Mother had been talking about sending Gohan and me to a public school so that we could actually get an education where we were surrounded by people our own age. I could not stand that idea; I mean, I got along poorly with humans as it was, and I was not looking forward to hiding who I was just because they do not like anything _abnormal_. Mother and I got into several fights about it.

That was part of the reason I did not want to go to the party either. Christmas was a human holiday, and I was not human, so why should I attend it?

I yawned again before I fell back asleep. Unfortunately, my youngest brother prevented it from being for any length of time.

"Nee-chan16!!" Goten called out as he jumped onto my bed.

"Why are you bothering me…?" I asked him sleepily. I was not being harsh with him; it was just the way I was now. Any playfulness or softness that I once had disappeared when the two that held my life together vanished.

"Kaa-san said that you aren't coming to the party!" His voice had a slight whine to it.

"That's correct…"

"But why!?" he demanded of me. "It's not going to be any fun without you!"

I rolled over slightly so I could look at him. "Goten… it will be more fun for you and everyone else if I stay here. It's been a long time since I've been any good with company."

"That's what you always say!!"

"Goten… look, to me this is just a trip into my past. I don't want to be ripped up any further, and I don't want to hurt any one either."

He pouted. "It's always about the past with you, Nee-chan."

I sighed. When he gave me that look, it was rather difficult for me not to give into his desires. Goten looked like a miniature version of our father. If it was not for the fact that I had been in charge of taking care of him since he was born, I would probably have just as much trouble looking at him as I did with his best friend, Trunks.

The Trunks in this time was a year older than Goten and his personality was like a playful, more mischievous version of his father's. He was so different from my Sensei, but he looked the same. It was always painful to look at him.

"Goten, the past builds our future… and I just can't seem to escape it." I then rolled completely over so that I could sit up. "Please, don't worry about me. Just go and have fun." I then roughed up his hair. "If your luck holds, when you go, you'll get presents and an excellent feast… although, I hope, for your sake, that Bulma didn't cook anything."

He looked at me blankly. "Bulma's cooking can be… questionable at times…" I told him, understanding what had confused him.

"Okay, I'll watch out for that." His voice was so full of cheer that it was difficult not to be swayed by it. "But I still want you to come!" His eyes then lit up. "I know! That can be your Ch… Chri…" He was having difficultly trying to remember the word.

"Christmas." I corrected him.

"Yeah that! That can be your Christmas gift to me!"

"I'll think about it," I told him with as much of a smile as I could muster. I then glanced outside the door to the room and noticed that Mother was standing outside of it, looking irritated. "You might want to get going, Goten. I think that Kaa-san is going to get mad if you don't leave soon."

"Sure, but I have a question for you, Nee-chan."

"What is it?"

"Is the reason that you don't like Christmas because you got a bad present before…?"

I stared at him, before I shook my head. "No, Goten, that's not it." How could I explain to him the sight that Trunks had shown me?

"But…!" He definitely wanted me to explain what was making me more moody than usual.

I stopped him. "You're going to be late. Go have fun, okay?"

"Fine." He then pouted again before he left the room. Mother immediately got him and directed him towards the door. She did not even bother to say 'goodbye' to me, since she knew that I did not really care.

As soon as I heard the front door open and close, I laid back on my bed, thankful for the peace. I loved my brother, but he always tried to force me to mention the past that I wanted to forget. Gohan had tried to get me to talk about it, once he realized that my depression was not going away, in an attempt to get me back to normal, but I never went into details, and it just hurt me more to think about it.

Then, against my better judgment, I began to think about my first Christmas again. Trunks had taken me out for two reasons… the first was nothing but a lie… but what was the second one? I could not remember.

I rolled around on the bed as I attempted to recover that forgotten piece of information. It was important… what was it? On top of that, I realized that this was uncharacteristic of me; I usually tried to avoid diving into the past, but here I was trying to recall that night. What was wrong with me?

After several minutes of remembering nothing of interest, I gave up and tried to go back to sleep. Why was I trying so hard? Usually holidays and get-togethers caused me to want to be with no one else but myself… it was then that the memory that I had been looking for resurfaced.

I immediately sat up, as I realized what I had missed. I could not believe that I had forgotten something so important! After determining what I wanted to do, I got up and began to get ready. No matter what, I was going to go out, but where I was going depended on a bit of information that I needed to find.

------

"Goshi-kun?" Bulma asked as she greeted me at the door. "What are _you_ doing here!?" I could not blame her for the surprise, since it had been a while since I decided to come to a party.

"I thought that you were throwing a Christmas party," I told her as innocently as I could.

She stared at me with an open mouth for a second before she remember her manners. "Uh, yeah… come… on in…" After letting me in and closing the door, she motioned for me to follow her.

"From the way it sounds, I'd say that you think I have some devious intention in mind," I told her.

"It… it's just that this is a huge surprise… ChiChi-san said that you weren't going to come…" I raised an eyebrow as she spoke. Yeah, I was going to bet that she thought that I was going to do something to destroy the party.

"How late am I?"

"…Well… we're just about to eat… and then we'll open presents." She then looked bad at me, disapprovingly. "I see that you didn't bring anything."

I smiled slightly, which caused her to look at me with suspicion. I was actually glad about that as I did not want to reveal what I had planned yet.

"Here we are…" she then said as we came to a large double-door. We then went through it and entered into the large garden that resides on the first floor of Capsule Corp.

As soon as I entered, I noticed that mostly everyone who was there was beginning to seat themselves at a large table that had been placed in the middle of the room. I had a slight flashback to my first Christmas when I entered the room that held the dinner table, but unlike that time, there were no hostile faces that glared at me (unless you count Vegeta). Instead, everyone just looked shocked.

"Nee-chan!!" I heard Goten yell from somewhere, and then the next thing I knew, he was in front of me with a huge grin on his face. "You came! You came! Thank you!"

I smiled at him before I turned back to Bulma. "Should I go have a seat?" She nodded.

"Come on, Nee-chan!" he said as he grabbed my hand and began to pull me towards the table. "You can sit next to me and Nii-chan!" Bulma followed us with a slightly bemused expression.

Goten then directed me to a chair next to Gohan, and after I took it, he sat himself down in the chair on my other side. I then glanced over at my other brother and noticed that he was giving me a look that clearly said that he was questioning my motives for being there. He was not the only one either; others, including my mother, Kuririn, and Vegeta were just as skeptical.

I just greeted them and said nothing else. I really wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so that I would not end up saying something that I would regret. I had become very blunt within the last few years, and such words had no place at this meal.

----

"So… Goshi…" Kuririn said sometime after we had begun eating. "Have you heard from _him_? Is that why, you're here?" I guess that he wanted to know why I was there.

Gohan and Mother immediately shot him a warning glance, to let him know that this was still not a good topic. "I… still haven't been contacted…" I replied hesitantly with a hint of underlying sadness. Gohan and Mother were surprised that I calmly answered the question.

"Really?" Kuririn was confused by my answer as he saw no other reason for my presence. "It's been a few years, hasn't it?"

"Hai…" He was kind enough to drop the subject after that.

"But what did convince you to come?" Gohan asked me. He was irritated. "You and Kaa-san were in quite a fight earlier." I shrugged and said nothing.

"This is my present from Nee-chan!" Goten told him. "I asked her to come and she did!"

"Don't be stupid, Goten," I heard Trunks snort from the other side of him. "How can that be a present!?"

"A Christmas present doesn't need to be something that you can physically touch, Trunks," I told him. I was surprised to hear slight amusement in my voice. "As long as there is a meaning behind it, it can be a present."

"On that note," Bulma said as she prevented her son from attempting to argue with me, "is everyone done with dinner?" Mostly everyone nodded. "Good. It's time to open gifts! Come on everyone!"

Those of us who were done, then followed her to a different location in the garden. I was surprised to see that the presents were under a large pine tree that had several decorations on it. It had been such a long time since I had seen a Christmas tree.

"Alrighty then; help yourselves!" Bulma said, which caused Goten and Trunks to attack the stack of presents at the base of the tree.

I just sat an observed the scene. There was such joy as everyone opened and passed around presents, that I could not help but watch. I had never seen something quite like it before, so I wanted to be able to remember it without it being spoiled by me.

"Hey, Goshi-kun, catch!" Bulma said as she threw a package at me. I was surprised to see that it was a present. "Merry Christmas."

"Thanks," I replied as I carefully began to unwrap it.

"You shouldn't thank me…"

I gave her a confused look. She just motioned for me to continue unwrapping, so I did. I nearly cried when I saw what was inside of it. It was a jacket and I recognized it immediately; it was one of Trunks'… the one from the future and my teacher.

After recovering from the shock of seeing it, I began to examine it. I then noticed that a note fell out from it, which I then decided to read. It was written in his writing and it said that he had wanted me to have it, just in case that something was to happen to him. The note then ended with the same message that I had tried so hard to remember earlier… it seemed so fitting.

I then set the note down and hugged the jacket (in hopes that maybe I could recreate the feeling of his presence). It still smelled faintly of the body spray he used. I then smiled and began to put it on.

"You seem to be happy with your present," Bulma noticed approvingly.

I smiled as I nodded. I then stood up, which got everyone's attention. "It just seems so fitting that I was given this…" I then looked around. "I actually do have a present for everyone, if they are willing to accompany me."

"What do you mean?" Yamcha asked me in a surprised voice.

"I wish to show you what _he_ had shown me… on my first Christmas." I then paused for a second. "Would you like to come?" I asked them hesitantly.

Everyone looked around at each other before I got their reply. Generally, everyone reluctantly agreed, which thrilled me. I was actually getting excited. "Okay, but we need to leave now. We'll miss the start of it if we wait too much longer."

"The 'start of' what?" Mother asked me hesitantly.

"You'll see!" I was then about to head out, when I remembered something. "Oh, I should warn you that it's going to be kind of cold where we're going…"

"But where are we going!?" I just smiled at them as I beckoned for them to follow me.

-------

"And after all of that, you lead us to some frozen wasteland!?" Bulma yelled at me after I had led her and everyone else to a place up north near the ice cap.

"If you wait for a few minutes, you'll understand why," I told her. "I don't exactly like the cold either."

"Hey, Nee-chan!!" Goten called out. I looked over only to be hit in the face with a snowball. "Ha ha! Got you!"

I shook my head. "They say that the past repeats itself…" I told myself as I got the sensation of déjà vu. I then picked up some snow, "You're going to regret that Goten!" I then launched a snowball at him.

Our little fight only lasted a few minutes (and Trunks was helping him gang up on me), before Mother came over and started yelling at me. "**Why in the world did we ever decide to let you bring us here**!?" she snapped. "**There's nothing up here, and unless this snowball fight of yours is what you had in mind, there's nothing to see! I knew that I should have sent you back home when you walked through that door!**"

As I was pretending to listen to her, I noticed a flicker of light in my peripheral vision. I looked up and smiled as I saw the confirmation that the show had begun. "Kaa-san, before you yell at me more, please look towards the sky."

"**Why!?**" she demanded of me.

"Because, it's started."

"OH!" I heard Bulma exclaim. "What is it?"

I looked over to see her and everyone else looking up at the sky. Satisfied, I looked up as well. The lights were just as beautiful and mysterious as I remembered them. "That's the aurora borealis… the northern lights."

"Th-they're… beautiful!" Mother exclaimed which made me feel a little smug.

"Merry Christmas everyone," I told them as I continued to look skyward.

"I'm surprised that you knew about this, Goshi," Gohan told me as he approached me. "I mean, this is the first time I've seen them."

"I'd imagine… It can be difficult to pinpoint where they're going to appear next, or if they're going to appear." I then gave him a sideways glance, "You also don't go out as much as you used to."

"I'd say the same to you… if I knew it wasn't a lie." He sighed; since he knew, what I said was true. Since Dad died, he had spent the majority of the time studying, something that I cannot do, even if I tried.

"So… what decided to make you show us this?" he asked about a minute later.

"…I reminded myself that I'm not alone… and this is what _he_ used as a way to demonstrate that to me."

He was clearly confused by my words. "Are you going to explain that?"

I shook my head as I looked skywards again. "Maybe on a different day… Please, just enjoy the sight for now."

He said something else, but I just pushed his voice from my mind. I felt content; it had been a long time since I had felt as such. Everything just seemed to be right; I was enjoying the holiday and so was everyone else, and it was not because I had finally gotten over my aversion to humans. These were the people who understood me and shared my experience. With them, I wasn't alone, and I had forgotten that.

"I never got to thank you for that night, did I?" I asked the sky. "Where ever you are… Merry Christmas, Trunks-ni!"

**End**

1 "Kun" is a suffix that is a term of endearment among those who are generally close to each other. When used like this, it is generally considered to be rude to attach "kun" to the end of a girl's name. Since Goshi has more of a guy-like personality, _most_ people refer to her as 'kun'. Also, "kun" can be used when addressing who is younger or of a lesser rank. In Japanese high schools, the teachers generally refer to all of their students as "last name"-kun.

2 Kaa-san means mother.

3 "Chan"" is another suffix. "Chan" is used in respect to both genders of very young kids, but as they age, "chan" is mostly attached to a girl's name. "Chan" is usually used by those who know each other very well.

4 Believe it or not, there are quite a few people in Japan that actually celebrate Christmas. This is because they like the idea of having a day of good will where presents are exchanged. Also, since it's relatively new to them, they have a fascination with Christianity.

5 A gi is a martial arts uniform.

6 Tou-san means father.

7 Here, "ni" is a shortened version of "Nii-san" which means older brother. It's a nickname showing how Goshi views her relationship with Trunks, who's 10 years older than she is.

8 2 things here… those who learn English in Japan don't usually encounter it (properly) until middle school or high school: and America is the birthplace of rock and roll. And I have this feeling that Trunks would listen to modern alternative rock.

9 Gomen na sai is a very formal way of saying 'sorry'. In the Japanese version of the anime and even the manga, Trunks is shown to be very polite.

10 Iie means no.

11 It is well-noted that Akira Toriyama does not like the snow. From what I know of his personality, he prefers to draw warmer climates. And it can be noted that Goku did not see snow until he was 12 (red ribbon saga).

12 According to Kung Fu, the founding fighting style of dragonball, chi is energy of the body. This is not to be confused with Ki, which is said to be the energy of the mind. I know that in the Japanese version of the anime, they call it ki , but Kung Fu is Chinese and there are going to be translation issues.

13 Tou-san means father.

14 Kuririn is Krillian's Japanese name. Tenshinhan is Tein Shinhan's actual name; I've never understood why the dubbers separated his name like that. Muten Roshi is Master Roshi; the 'Muten' is a more serious title, seemingly meaning the same as master. And 'sama' is a really respectful suffix, even more so than 'san'.

15 Goshi falls into a deep depression after the Cell Games, and this is what ChiChi is referring to.

16 Nee-chan means big sister.

* * *


End file.
